Hi Blog. Here’s a story that people have been talking about for quite some time in the Comments section of Debito.org (but sandbagged by other projects, I haven’t quite gotten to until now, thanks to this good round-up article by Dr. David McNeill): Schools fostering ultra-rightist narratives even from a kindergarten age.

One thing I’ve always wondered about these nationalistic schools designed to instill “love of country” and enforce patriotism from an early age (which are, actually, not a new phenomenon, see also here): How are they supposed to deal with students who are of mixed heritage, or of foreign descent? As Japan’s multiethnic Japanese citizen population continues to grow thanks to international marriage, are these students also to be taught that love of country means only one country? Or that if they are of mixed roots, that they can only “love” one side?

This sort of jingoism should be on its way out of any developed society in this increasingly globalizing world. But, alas, as PM Abe toadies up to Trump, I’m sure the former will find plenty of things to point at going on in the USA to justify renewed exclusionism, and “putting Japan first” through a purity narrative. Still, as seen below, the glimmer of hope is the charge that this school’s funny financial dealings (and their anointment of Abe’s wife as “honorary principal”) might in fact be the thing that brings down the Abe Administration (if it does, I’ll begin to think that Japan’s parliamentary system is actually healthier than the US’s Executive Branch). And that Japan’s hate speech law has in fact bitten down on their racist activities. An interesting case study in progress. Dr. Debito Arudou

PHOTO: Shinzo Abe with Donald Trump: The Japanse prime minister has offered to resign if his involvement in the school controversy is confirmed. Photograph: Al Drago/The New York Times

Lingering suspicions about far-right ties to Japan’s government have surfaced again in a row about an alleged sweetheart deal for the operator of an ultra-nationalist kindergarten.

Under fire in parliament, prime minister Shinzo Abe, one of Japan’s longest-serving leaders, said he would step down if his involvement in the deal is substantiated.

The private kindergarten in Osaka has its 3-5-year-old students memorise a 19th-century edict that was used to indoctrinate youngsters during the second World War. Children at the school chant patriotic slogans in front of pictures of the emperor, including: “Should emergencies arise, offer yourselves courageously to the state.”

Opposition politicians have singled out the sale of a plot of land last year to Mr Gakuen [sic] by the government in Osaka Prefecture at a fraction of the appraised price.

A primary school is being built on the 8,770sq m plot. Mr Abe’s wife, Akie, will be its honorary principal when it opens in April. The prime minister’s name was allegedly used to solicit donations.

Below list price Yasunori Kagoike, the president of the kindergarten, has denied that the million yen (€1.1 million) paid for the plot last June, far below its list price of million yen, was too cheap.

The school says the cost of cleaning up arsenic and other contamination found on the site explains the whopping discount. “We have done things open and above board,” Mr Kagoike said this week.

About a third of the Diet (parliament) and more than half of Mr Abe’s 19-member cabinet support Nippon Kaigi. Mr Abe is a specialist adviser to its parliamentary league.

Like followers of US president Donald Trump, members of Nippon Kaigi want to “take back” their country from the liberal forces that they believe are destroying it. The group’s goals include building up the nation’s military forces, instilling patriotism in the young, and revising much of the pre-war Meiji constitution.

Blatantly revisionistCritics say its charter is a shopping list of blatantly revisionist causes: applaud Japan’s wartime “liberation” of east Asia from western colonialism; rebuild the armed forces; inculcate patriotism among students brainwashed by left-wing teachers; and revere the emperor as he was worshipped before the war.

Mr Abe has denied that he or his wife were involved in the land sale or that he gave permission for his name to be used, though both have praised the curriculum offered by the kindergarten.

Responding to questions from opposition politicians last Friday, Mr Abe said he did not know that donations were being solicited for a “Prime Minister Shinzo Abe” memorial elementary school.

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” he said, adding that he would “quit as prime minister and as a Diet member” if found to have been involved in the scandal.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife has cut ties with an elementary school involved in a land deal that provoked opposition questions just as the Japanese leader was basking in the glow of a friendly summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Abe has said neither he nor his wife, Akie, was involved in a murky deal for the purchase of state-owned land by Moritomo Gakuen, an educational body in the western city of Osaka that also runs a kindergarten promoting patriotism.

The affair has energized the often-floundering opposition, offering a reminder of the unexpected pitfalls that could still emerge for Abe’s seemingly stable rule, now in its fifth year.

Abe, grilled about the purchase of the land at a rock-bottom price, said on Friday his wife would scrap a plan to become honorary principal of an elementary school the institution will open in April.

Last year, Moritomo Gakuen paid 134 million yen ($1.2 million), or 14 percent of the appraisal price, for an 8,770-sq-m (94,400-square-foot) plot on which to build the elementary school, official data show.

The difference reflects the cost of waste cleanup at the site, officials have said. Finance Minister Taro Aso told parliament this week there were no problems with the deal.

Abe said his wife had tried to refuse the role as honorary principal, and only accepted after it was announced to parents.

“Despite this, she decided that it would be detrimental for both the students and the parents if she continued, and so she told them she would resign,” he added.

OPPOSITION ENERGIZED

The institution’s president, Yasunori Kagoike, heads the Osaka branch of Nippon Kaigi, or Japan Conference, a nationalist lobby group with close ties to Abe and his cabinet.

On the school’s website, Akie had said: “I was impressed by Mr. Kagoike’s passion for education and have assumed the post of honorary principal.”

Abe said the comments were removed from the website on Thursday at his wife’s request.

Abe reiterated that he had declined to let his name be used when Moritomo Gakuen sought donations for what it called the “Abe Shinzo Memorial Elementary School”.

He has also denied that either he or his wife was involved in obtaining approval for the school, or in the land acquisition, saying last Friday that he would resign if evidence to the contrary were found.

The main opposition Democratic Party has seized on the affair. “The prime minister is talking as if he were the victim, but it is the people who should be angry,” Democratic Party lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto told reporters.

His cabinet this time has lost several ministers to money scandals, but Abe himself has been untainted by scandal.

Abe’s approval rating rose five points to 66 percent in a media survey after his summit with Trump, where the leaders hugged, golfed and reaffirmed the U.S.-Japan alliance.

But his popularity could take a hit if the scandal continues to preoccupy the media, some political analysts said.

“The thing that makes a scandal really serious is when it keeps getting headlines,” said Chuo University political science professor Steven Reed.

At first glance, the Tsukamoto kindergarten looks like any other school in Japan, but its unique curriculum is reminiscent of pre-war Japan.

The private school, which has been visited by Akie Abe, wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, aims to instil in its 3- to 5-year-old students a sense of patriotism with a curriculum focused on Japanese traditions and culture.

Its mornings start with uniformed children singing the national anthem in front of the country’s flag and reciting in stilted Japanese the pre-war Imperial Rescript on Education, containing commandments set out in 1890 to nurture “ideal” citizens under the Emperor Meiji. These embody Confucian virtues and demanded devotion to the emperor and sacrifice for the country.

After World War Two, occupying U.S. forces abolished the rescript, which many saw as a source of the obedience and moral certitude that helped fuel Japanese militarism.

In 1947, the postwar government passed the Fundamental Law on Education to bolster the liberal and democratic values of the postwar pacifist constitution.

Tsukamoto kindergarten, in Osaka, introduced the rescript 15 years ago, although school officials say it is not intended to fuel nationalism.

“What we’re aiming to foster in education is patriotism or ‘Japanese-ism’, expanding Japan’s spirit all over the world, not so-called nationalism. These are totally different,” said Yasunori Kagoike, principal of the kindergarten.

PHOTO: A student stops to bow to a portrait of Japanese former Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kojun at Tsukamoto kindergarten in Osaka, Japan, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ha Kwiyeon

Kagoike heads the Osaka branch of Nippon Kaigi, or Japan Conference, a nationalist lobby group with close ties to Abe and his Cabinet and for which education reform is a key tenet.

PROTECTING THE NATION

Cultural activities at the school, where the walls are lined with images of the imperial family to which students bow throughout the day, include learning traditional Japanese musical instruments, martial arts and board games. Students also take trips to military bases.

Kagoike said he hopes other schools will adopt their curriculum so children are prepared to protect their nation against potential threats from other countries.

“If an imperialist nation is trying to harm Japan, we need to fight against it. For that, revising Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution is indeed necessary and should be carried out as soon as possible,” he said.

Article 9 of the U.S.-drafted constitution renounces war and, if read literally, bans the maintenance of armed forces, although Japan’s military, called the Self-Defense Forces, has over 200,000 personnel and is equipped with high-tech weapons.

Revising the constitution is one of the key policy targets of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. His government has already stretched its limits to give the military a bigger role.

Using an analogy of stopping a burglar getting into the house, teacher Chinami Kagoike – the principal’s daughter – said she teaches students it is necessary to fight against such threats to protect themselves and their families.

“Strengthening Japan would be subject to severe criticism from various countries,” she said. “But instead of pulling away from this, I teach children that the Japanese government has clearly demonstrated its will, so you also need to break silence and go forward and say you want to protect your family.”

The kindergarten plans to open a primary school next year and Akie Abe will be the honorary principal, according to school brochures.

Michael Cucek, an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Tokyo campus, said Abe’s wife is often seen as a proxy for the prime minister, who during his first, 2006-2007 term oversaw the revision of the education law to put patriotism back in school curricula.

ENDS

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28 comments on “Irish Times: Abe Admin in trouble due to ultranationalistic kindergarten Moritomo Gakuen, its perks, and its anti-Korean/Chinese racism”

You see, if Japan had proper hate-speech laws with real penalties, this racist hate-school kindergarten and Nippon Kaigi behind it, would never have got started, and wouldn’t be causing Abe so much trouble right now.

It’s Karma, he’s getting what he deserves; shamed. And the irony of these right-wingers is that they are obsessed with national pride, but when they get called out on the racist rubbish they need to spout to engender that pride, they ever so quickly become ashamed and embarrassed to admit it.

I dont trust anything these people say. First you have the public rebuke from Hashimoto against the racist guy in Osaka, and then an antihate “law” passed. One step forward. Then we have an unapologetic apa hotel owner putting racist books in rooms. A step backwards. Then we have this drama. It seems its just always a very reluctant step forward, then at least 2 or more steps backards.

He who lives by J nationalism dies by J nationalism- a 2 edged sword. Abe tried to wield it, believing it to be a power rather than a curse, but like so many things in Japan, it is impossible to satisfy everyone and his association with it has tarnished his rep; he might eventually lose power as a result.

5 years as PM is an eternity in J politics. Perhaps its time to go. Mark my words,this is the beginning of his end.

This is an article about Japanese revisionists and racists having become more overt under Abe’s regime, and right there in the comments is ‘don’t blame Abe! Japan’s right wingers are inspired by Trump’ apologism.

Nippon Kaigi nationalists love Japan so much, they want to charge Japanese patriots money for the brain washing their kids, but also the privilege of letting these kids play on contaminated ground that they didn’t clean up to cost cut (and cheat the tax payer).

Poisoning their supporters kids minds and bodies, and defrauding the tax-payer.

Doesn’t sound much like the actions of people who ‘love their country’ to me.

But this is fascism; exploit the weak, lie for personal gain, label those who discover the truth as ‘traitors’. Nasty, cynical, deceitful.

One of the news programs had a short segment on an overnight stay at the kindergarten. It featured Kagoike essentially drilling the kids.
Kagoike: Are you Japanese?
Kids. Yes.
Kagoike: What are you?
Kids: Japanese.
Kagoike: What’s the other word?
Kids (slightly unsure): Japanese race. [日本民族]
Kagoike: Louder.
Kids: Japanese race.

Every so often cracks appear and the true racist nihonjinron reality is revealed.

It’s time foreigners stopped hiding the reality of Japan, good and bad, behind infantile equivocations and bland touristy pap. Don’t mindlessly promote ‘cool Japan’ on behalf of your hosts. It’s one of the least cool places one could possibly visit or work in.

I’m surprised that this has become a controversy. Maybe that’s progress? Nevertheless be assured most Japanese don’t really care.

What is one of the most idiotic things about such reactionary throwbacks is that from the Emperor himself’s statements, subtle as they are, it seems that the Emperor of Japan rejects this kind of racial nonsense.

The Emperor’s statements about the Korean origin of the Royal Family of Japan are on record as they were spoken publicly. A message there for all Japanese except the bone-headed reactionaries. They choose to ignore Japan’s historical ties from very old times with the Korean peninsula – the times of Prince Shotoku being a major example.

These people are historically illiterate about their own country all the while claiming to be superior and to preserve some ‘true Japanese spirit and blood’ yet their ideas mostly come from the 19th century.

I heartily agree with Luke D that there is no ‘cool Japan’. There are many nice people in Japan and many different food customs and other customs in its different prefectures. However, it is worthwhile keeping in mind that non Japanese would do well to stop reinforcing the delusions of Japanese exceptionalism.

Japanese society is turning inwards again and it is most likely going to be impossible to reverse this, along with its attendant economic woes, soon to be 50 percent aged population, shuttered towns, Ponzi scheme nenkin payments becoming even less and completely out of wack with the large amounts paid in over a pre-retirement lifetime, and continued refusal to accept that Japan is not exceptional.

And a rapidly ageing population will certainly stymie any attempts at change along with the the Jiminto Party that will mostly be in power thanks to the rapidly ageing population.

Tokyo is a good marker of what is to come. It is the least sophisticated, least cosmopolitan, least open-minded city I have ever lived in or visited. The resistance to 21st century realities is strong in Tokyo as shown by the general and observable tendency to want everything to be about Japanese basking in the comfort of other Japanese. It is the reason why Tokyo seems so stagnant and lacking in some vital character.

Western countries are undergoing upheavals and have their problems and own reactionaries, but in dynamic, multi-ethnic societies, challenges usually work out for the better. Multi-cultural literacy is not only the future, it is there right now and its lack in Japan and Tokyo is notable. The safety of Japan is stagnation for the most. Sadly the Japanese who understand that are most likely to be beaten by demographics.

The domestic media has been covering the political scandals arising from Moritomo Gakuen but the elephant in the room that they are all ignoring is the Nippon Kaigi.
(One wouldn’t think it too hard to see who is involved and then see which ones are affiliated with Nippon Kaigi…)

Yeah, the J-media has been all over this for three weeks, even Abe’s attempt to scare-monger back to his agenda on Monday (after NK missile launch) has failed to detract attention from this scandal. Mainly because the people behind the school continue to compound their problem with fresh revelations (fake teaching credentials, paid for city teaching jobs they never attended) and fresh bouts of bad behavior (attempting to illegally photograph city official who visited the school for a meeting in order to identify and intimidate them).
And yes, Nippon Kaigi is slipping under the radar, when this case should be highlighting exactly why nationalists ‘beautiful country’ and ‘pride in being Japanese’ is all self-serving BS by a bunch of bullies with connections to power, who are using that power to lie and steal tax ¥, and they don’t care if they poison Japanese kids with toxic waste in the process.

Much the same as right wing nutcase Ishihara doesn’t care if the fish market relocation was poisoned- I’m sure he got his money (looking forward to his testimony on 20th!).

Or the same as Abe and his LDP mates who got their money from the nuclear village, so they don’t care if they force evacuees out of shelters, see homeless, mentally ill, and asylum seekers doing decontamination work, socialize the costs of cleaning up after TEPCO etc…

Anyone who says they love their country and are proud to be Japanese always seems to be a law breaker who wants to put Japanese in harms way to me!

It was interesting to see bits of Kagoike’s press conference on the TV news. While he wasn’t abusive or even angry in tone, he berated not only the Asahi (because, er, Asahi) he expressed his disappointment at the way the Sankei (yes, the right wing sympathetic Sankei) was treating him – the same as the Asahi.

He also suggested that the media respect his human rights. (Hang on – aren’t human rights a Western concept forced upon Japan?)

What I saw of the conference seemed to be a mish-mash of Kagoike in victim mode (unable to get the school constructed on time because of the media) and Kagoike in preaching mode about his dream for the young people of the “chosen nation”.

Well worth a watch; the freelance Japanese journalist who wrote a best-seller exposing Nippon Kaigi, and this week is at the center of the media storm explaining the racist kindergarten’s links to politicians, had this to say at the FCCJ;

Including Q&A, it’s a long video, but for me, the main points to take away were;

1. Nippon Kaigi is an organization by and for old men over 70 (with female apologists trying to ‘fit in’ in order to ‘get along’- just like NJ apologists!).

2. These old men aren’t actually ‘for’ anything- but instead have a long list of ‘againsts’.

3. This list is predominantly ‘against’ rights for women and children.

4. They know that this is a stance that the public will find disgusting so they falsely present themselves as being Japan loving patriots who see western liberal democratic ideas as eroding ‘unique Japanese values’ because they know Japanese are suckers for that one.

5. The real goal of constitutional revision is to alter Art. 24 and remove all rights from women and children.

6. They see themselves frustrated in this effort by an imaginary conspiracy of super-powerful left-wing forces controlling Japan’s education, media, and attempting to control the government.

(If you live in Japan, #6 should ring alarm bells immediately as to how disconnected from reality Nippon Kaigi leaders are).

7. Abe’s grandfather’s election machine included fundraising by a Nippon Kaigi pre-cursor group, hence Abe’s strong relationship with Nippon Kaigi who still fundraiser for him through a front group.

8. How much they are using each other for their own ends is up for debate; Abe is ramping up tensions with neighbors to prepare the public for the idea of constitutional revision, but Art. 9 isn’t the goal (and he will use this to put down his detractors), but rather Art. 24 for Nippon Kaigi’s sake -these 70 year old’s are determined to take away women’s and children’s rights, and this is their last chance before they die of old age, and Nippon Kaigi evaporates (since like all paranoid power mongering old men, they have not dared to risk preparing a next generation of leaders).

9. Abe has a financial incentive to go along with Nippon Kaigi, but other politicians are being duped as to the groups power; ‘sell out’ Nippon Kaigi events at the 10,000 seat Budokan Arena see Nippon Kaigi bussing in 10,000 members of Soka Gakai and Shinto groups to give politicians the impression that Nippon Kaigi’s agenda enjoys widespread ‘unspoken’ support merely in wait of a leader with the guts to stand up (as the Osaka kindergarten scandal shows, the public are decidedly against Nippon Kaigi’s child/woman abuse agenda).

Actually, right now this story is renewing my faith in Japanese society.
Cold hearted cynic and misanthrope though I may be, even given that Japan’s ‘normal’ is less democratic, more authoritarian than many other G7 nations, even though the Japanese have an education system manipulated from the get go to ensure the survival of imperial era ideology, and even though I do believe that the Japanese aren’t sufficiently apologetic for their wartime actions as a result of the denial and ignorance bred by that education system, Japan is EVEN SO a society where Nippon Kaigi can’t air its opinions in the broad light of day without inspiring such widespread revulsion that even its most enthusiastic supporters (like Abe) suddenly seek to disown them.
Maybe Japan can save itself after all?

@Jim – Very well put. Thanks for reminding us to try to see the positive side.

IF the mainstream media, and the average “Nippon-jin”, are now strongly criticizing the statements of the dangerous fascist racist war-initiating Nippon Kaigi kamikaze suicide group, then (if so) thank goodness for such much needed criticism.

And IF the dangerous-to-the-future-of-all-children-in-Japan himself Mr. “Let’s invade China again; Let’s kill another 10 million or 20 million Non-Japanese (and get 3 million Japanese killed in the process) again; Let’s reattempt the genocidal-land-grab of-all-Asia which my grandfather Nobusuke (Class A War Criminal, Butcher of Manchuria, Shōwa no Yōkai, imprisoned for crimes against humanity yet released and allowed to be the 56th and 57th Prime Minister of Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobusuke_Kishi) Kishi attempted, so let’s succeed this time” Abe were to suddenly be forced to disown the Nippon Kaigi group, then (if so) thank goodness for such much needed disowning.

But, here’s a question (since I’ve begun refusing to expose myself to the falsehoods released by the official Japanese government propaganda dispersal outlets) – Are the majority of Japanese citizens and Japanese media outlets and Japanese Prime Minister REALLY criticizing past and presents statements and actions of the Nippon Kaigi group itself?

Or are they all merely criticizing and distancing themselves from “just the statements made by one bad apple: Yasunori Kagoike, owner of a little private school, whose personal statements are thus unrepresentative of the Nippon Kaigi group as a whole” ?

Basically, what I mean is, is Abe actually officially disowning Nippon Kaigi, or is Abe merely distancing himself from this embarrassing one little Yasunori Kagoike guy who made the mistake of getting egg on Japan’s face by undiplomatically clearly printing the currently guardedly-unspoken heart-felt honne of Japan?

The answer from anyone still watching Japanese government “news” outlets would be interesting, but either way, even if Abe actually HAS been forced to criticize the Nippon Kaigi, that would still just be tatemae theatrics of course.

The fact remains: Abe, and the Japanese majority who love him and support his goals, has STILL not done the proper amount of vital hansei (self-reflection) about the undeniable crimes against humanity (13 million or 23 million murders, even the conservative estimates of Asians killed by Japan match the Hitler or Stalin murders) which Japan committed unrepentantly just two generations ago.

And the fact remains: the average Japanese still sees all Non-Japanese, defined as “all who lack pure Yamato race genetics” as being sub-Japanese, sub-equal, racially-determined-outsiders: “Gaijin races don’t necessarily deserve equal human rights in Japan” and “Gaijin races definitely should not be treated the same as the pure Japanese race (sic) in Japan.”

And thus, the fact remains: we who made the mistake of having children here in Japan need to be ready to leave this backwards sakoku country as soon as (or preferably before) the Japanese government (or its Nippon Kaigi henchmen) attempt the next false-flag self-terrorism Mukden Incident (Manchurian Incident) to start the next war of invasion as Japan did before.

I agree with what you wrote.
The guy who wrote the best selling expose on Nippon Kaigi, Sugano, describes them as being a bunch of geriatric nihilists with no alternatives to offer, only a list of things that they are against.
It’s not an appealing message in itself, as their constant need to dress it up as ‘preserving Japan’s unique blah, blah’ cover story proves.
For Nippon Kaigi leaders, Abe represents their last chance and last hurrah. And as I read in some article in Japan Times a couple of months ago, the LDP under Abe has become so top-down and autocratic in its paranoia to control everything, that after Abe, the LDP is likely to become a mere shadow of its gray, revolving-door, usual self.
I believe that what we are seeing in the news is merely the a fraction of the tension between Abe and Nippon Kaigi generated by the public scandal; Abe will not stand by Nippon Kaigi’s man, and Nippon Kaigi have realized that Abe has taken them for a ride.
Nippon Kaigi and Abe’s LDP can be seen to have reached their high-water mark here.
Unless Abe is really prepared to start a war with a neighbor.
The real question should be, what comes next?
A genuinely dangerous Nippon Kaigi substitute group with ‘beautiful country’ ambitions and ideology led by someone still under retirement age, and what kind of right-wing popularist party will suck away members of the soon to be uninspiring (to nationalists) LDP?
I think that Koike is setting herself up, and her Nippon Kaigi membership hasn’t made the news yet.
I agree with you, Japan’s ‘latent’ level of nationalism is higher than I feel comfortable with, but not necessarily a problem going forward if people can understand a national identity based on being proud of their achievements rather than what Japan has now, that seems to be a hateful spite towards the neighbors.
This scandal maybe merely showing us that the Japanese are embarrassed to openly admit their right-wing beliefs, but if they can’t do it now after 5 years of Abe, I think they never will.
Still, Plan B is always good to go.

P.S. With Blinky Ishihara set to give evidence on poisoned fish market corruption, and Kagoike set to testify on the kindergarten this week, it’s a bad week for fascists!
As Robert Graves wrote in I, Claudius, ‘Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out!’ and he was talking about politics too.

“A scandal over schools, land and nationalism in Japan….Prime ministers usually like to be linked to new schools, but Japan’s Shinzo Abe can’t get far enough from one that’s mired in a scandal about nationalism, toddlers and land deals that has seen his approval ratings tumble and raised questions over his wife’s role…..” *

No, I didn’t miss it. That story is dated 14th March (three weeks after the scandal came out) and is buried at the bottom of BBC News Asia page.
Funny thing is, I checked on the 14th and it wasn’t there. It only appeared on the 15th after BBC covered the story of Toyota making a huge investment in the U.K.
I guess they didn’t want to embarrass Abe before in case he put pressure on Toyota to walk away from the U.K.?

Jim
I think you’re being overly paranoid about a delay in reporting. I’ve noticed this not just with the BBC but other foreign news outlets for many years. Given the lack of Japanese presence by many, i would easily counter suggesting lack of resources means fact checking for such a complicated misdirection of events takes longer for non-J journalist, hence the slight delay. But a delay does not lessen the message either, only timing.
I see/read no link between the delay and Abe’s investment.

It seems to back up what I was theorizing above; that the majority don’t support the right-wingers agenda, but their silence creates a vacuum in which right-wingers are the only voice politicians hear, thus ensuring that they are over-represented by government and policy despite not representing the mainstream.

@ Jim, its like when Ishihara was first elected, people said they liked him because he was “a Japanese who could speak out” (and say “no” too), despite the content of what he was saying.

I think this is a common thing in Japan, its how you say it, not what you say. Silly microcosmic example, I have seen happy/genki conmen hypnotize naive teenage girls outside Shibuya station with their “aura”; even my GF was duped. She bought a years’ supply of useless cosmetics just because “kuchi ga umai dakara” and then had to struggle to extricate her from the contract.

The default setting of the Japanese majority is silence. The silence of the lambs? (sheeple?)